Harrogate District Swimming Club is appealing for help from businesses to help it sustain its recent stellar run of successes in the pool. 

Swimmers at the club have won armfuls of medals, and even broken a world record at competitions over the last couple of weeks. But club officials are keen to find a corporate sponsor to help it recoup the loss of thousands of pounds over the last three years. 

Normally, the club would hold three weekend-long swimming galas a year at Harrogate Hydro and bank the profits, but the covid pandemic and the closure of the Hydro for its £11.8m refurbishment has seen that source of income all but dry up. 

Team manager and communications officer Brian Charlton said:

“We’ve only been able to hold one gala in the last three years. So we’ve lost eight out of the nine galas we would have held, and about £2,000 each time. That’s a huge amount to make up. 

“We’ve approached several of Harrogate’s larger companies, but with no luck so far. Hopefully we’ll be able to hold a gala in 2023, but until then we’d really like to find a sponsor to help us out.” 

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Gold rush in Sheffield

The world record-breaking female 4x200m front crawl 200-239 yrs team: Julie Hoyle, Jo Beardsworth, Karen Graham and Fiona Cryan.

Swimmers from HDSC recently competed with 1,000 others from across the country at the annual Swim England Senior/Masters National Championships in Sheffield, coming away with 14 gold medals, five silvers and three bronze, as well as four European/British records and even a world record for the ladies 4x200m front crawl 200-239 years team. 

Younger swimmers were also in action at the second short course County Championships, also known as the ‘Yorkshires’. Overall, they achieved 34 top-ten finishes, including eight gold medals, four silvers and one bronze. 

John Abel, the founder and first managing director of the Harrogate International Hotel which is now the Crowne Plaza, has died after a short illness. 

The son of a banker, Mr Abel attended Culford School in Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk and subsequently qualified as a chef from the Birmingham College of Food – although he never cooked at home – followed by a hotel management course. 

He started his hotelier career in Norfolk, before moving to Harrogate in 1970 to become managing director of the St George Hotel. 

Following the sale of the hotel, the money was raised for building the then Harrogate International Hotel. Mr Abel, as its first managing director oversaw the construction of the hotel, which he proudly delivered on schedule and on budget, with it formally opening in January 1985. 

Renowned for his genteel nature and sense of fun, he subsequently joined Allott and Associates as a new business manager and is credited with winning lots of new accounts, many of which are still active with the business today. Latterly, he was retained as an associate and oversaw the advertising department.

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Outside work he enjoyed fine dining and horse racing. His passion for horse racing was caught from his wife Vivien and together they spent a lot of their spare time attending fixtures and he was a keen member of York Racecourse for over 45 years. 

Ultimately, Mr Abel was a people person. He was passionate about Harrogate and protecting its heritage and where necessary he didn’t hold back from ensuring that those in elected office were aware of his concerns.

He was a church elder at St. Paul’s United Reformed Church in Harrogate and together with Vivien visited elderly people as far afield as Scarborough, to support them. 

At home, Mr Abel loved gardening and visiting the eateries and shops in Harrogate. 

Mr Abel died on October 4, aged 81. He is survived by his wife Vivien, who he was married to for 52 years, and his younger brother Guy, who lives in New Zealand. 

This obituary was written by Philip Allott, founder of Allott and Associates.

A Harrogate district autism charity is celebrating its 10^th anniversary.

Autism Angels hosts sessions for autistic children and their families at Throstle Nest Farm near Summerbridge.

The charity offers horse-riding therapy sessions along with kids’ clubs and day camps.

Sarah Kekoa, who founded the charity in 2012, said she believed that the charity had led to “breakthroughs” with children’s experiences.

Ms Kekoa added that they took a positive approach which was not always present in everyday life:

“A lot of people project on to them that they can’t do [things] and we don’t believe that. We believe they can do. It’s just how.”

The charity aims to teach life skills such as teamwork, kindness and feeling able to speak up.

It also uses the occasional unpredictability of the horses to help children address their fears and anxieties.

The organisation also works as a space for the parents to come together to talk about their experiences and share their advice.

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For Ms Kekoa, the last decade has brought “breakthroughs” in terms of helping children.

However, she stressed, the end outcome was not the same for every child. She said:

“We had children coming last week who weren’t even in school and are now going back to school now in September… The aim isn’t always to get them back into school, but the aim is to always to keep their mental health and wellbeing a priority.”

To celebrate the anniversary, Autism Angels is hosting a party for those involved in the charity this weekend.

In April, some of the families undertook a 150-mile journey coast-to-coast journey and raised more than £10,000.

Sarah Kekoa founded the Autism Angels charity in 2012 (photo: Autism Angels)

Time with “the Horse Whisperer”

Ms Kekoa was inspired to start the riding therapy after spending time with American horse trainer Monty Roberts, who is known as “the Horse Whisperer” in the United States.

She noticed similarities between the non-verbal communication methods of the horses and autistic children. She said:

“It’s the way that they move and behave which tells their story.”

Staff and residents at care and assistance service Harrogate Neighbours have paid tribute to the Queen.

The CEO, Sue Cawthray, said she wanted to express her “deepfelt sorrow.” She added:

“We will all have our own personal memories of a remarkable woman and I am sure over the coming days and weeks we will gain strength as we come together to mourn as a nation.”

Residents have also recalled their past experiences and meetings with the Queen.

Kate Smith, 89, said:

“I remember sleeping on The Mall at the age of 19 years old to watch The Queen’s Coronation it was a wonderful experience and something that has stayed with me all my life. She was a remarkable woman.”

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This sentiment was shared by Chris Taylor, who looks after maintenance and the grounds at the company’s The Cuttings retirement complex. He said:

“I served in the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards from 1976 to 1991.  HM The Queen was my Colonel in Chief. On two occasions I had the privilege of meeting Her Majesty.

“I was one of her escorts for a regimental tercentenary celebrations and in later years I was part of an armoured escort from Edinburgh Castle to St Giles Cathedrals.  She made all of us feel at ease during her visits.”

Harrogate Neighbours have said that they ‘would like to thank Her Majesty The Queen for serving the people for over 70 years with commitment, dedication and unwavering and selfless loyalty to our country and the commonwealth.’

Ms Cawthray added that the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service which the team received in 2020 would be treasured.

She confirmed that the flag on the company’s site would be flown at half-mast during the mourning period.

This morning, Prime Minister Liz Truss announced the government’s plans to deal with spiralling energy costs.

The Prime Minister announced the price cap would be frozen at £2,500 per year for the average household for the next two years.

The Stray Ferret asked people in Harrogate’s town centre what they thought of the announcement.

Of the seven people we spoke to, none of them thought the measures would be enough.

These are their thoughts:

Amandine Thomas and Lauren Keane

Lauren Keane and Amandine Thomas, from Harrogate, were out having lunch in the town centre.

Ms Keane wanted to know why the government had not been looked at other options for reducing bills:

“It’s still too high. It’s annoying to know that other countries have capped it at reasonable levels.”

“This is probably it [for price reductions]. They seem to care about profits compared to people.”

“We need to invest more in renewable energy.”

Ms Thomas added:

“I know at the moment [prices are high], obviously with the war in Ukraine and general inflation. Hopefully they won’t stay like that.”

Brian Hazell

Brian Hazell feared that people would suffer if more was not done to help people with their bills:

“[Prices] are too high. It’s got to [come down], or a lot of people are going to be poorly off this winter.”

“They need to make energy companies pay. [The government] will get us into debt and will have to pay it off for years if we’re not careful.”

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Mr and Mrs Newall

On Cambridge Street, Mr and Mrs Newall placed the blame on the government. Mr Newall said:

“Typical Tory government helping their rich friends and the poor all pay the price. It won’t change until we get another government, but another government wouldn’t do much either. I don’t know how they sleep on a night.”

Mrs Newall added:

“People who stay in all day need to use more fuel than we probably do. We’re fixed until December [but then the bill will increase], won’t it?”

Courtney Nicholson

This sentiment was shared by Courtney Nicholson:

“It’s an insult to the public that they’re freezing them. They should be bringing them down. People are struggling. I can’t make a wage stretch a month anymore. Bills are going up. They should be actively trying to bring them down. It’s no way to live.”

Jane Schaffer

Jane Schaffer runs a pottery business which she brings to Harrogate’s farmers market.

She has seen the energy costs increase for the kiln she uses to make her pottery. She said:

“There’s a lot of hype around [the cost of energy]. I’m wondering about them going up. If they go up as predicted, it’ll be double the cost.

“The media have a lot to answer for – scaremongering.”

However, Ms Schaffer was concerned that the general increase in the cost of living may affect the number of people buying her items:

“One the one hand they’re essentials, on another they’re luxury items.”

An actor from Harrogate is to make his debut in a horror film produced by a local independent filmmaker.

Damien S Fear starred in Joe Cash’s horror-comedy Calling Nurse Meow, a follow-up to his 2021 film Carnal Monsters.

The film will premiere at the Dead Northern horror film festival in York on September 24.

The film is an anthology based around one of the main characters from the first film, who Mr Cash said proved popular with the film’s audience.

One of the film’s shorts was filmed in Harrogate. Initially intended as a test run, it was included after the filmmakers thought that the filming process had gone well.

In total, filming took over four months – longer than normal for an independent film. Scenes were also shot in Nottinghamshire and Milton Keynes.

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Mr Cash, who is also from Harrogate, previously made props for Fantastic Beasts and played a stormtrooper in Star Wars: Episode VII.

He believed making the film as an anthology had been a different experience to a regular film. He said:

“There’s so many more cogs and people involved with an anthology. There’s a lot more creativity in there… It’s been a lot of fun but it’s been a lot of work.”

A TV series based around the film’s characters in also set to be produced and released in 2024.

Damien S Fear made his acting debut in Joe Cash’s anthology film (photo: Joe Cash)

Yorkshire horror

The Dead Northern festival started out as the Harrogate Horror Film Festival in 2019.

This year, it is showing a mix of classic horror films as well as independent films made by local and international producers.

A live séance will also feature as part of the event, which is running between September 23 and 25 at York’s City Screen Picturehouse.

North Yorkshire Police are better at dealing with stalking cases than they were a year ago, according to the force’s head of safeguarding.

However, Detective Superintendent Fiona Wynne was concerned that the size of the team currently dealing with the issue was “impacting investigations of stalking”.

The team is currently made up of one detective and two stalking support officers.

North Yorkshire Police said 2.3 million people experience stalking in the UK in a calendar year. The average case lasts for 15 months.

Det Supt Wynne made the assessment while reviewing the force’s 2022 stalking audit at the monthly accountability meeting chaired by Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoë Metcalfe.

Ms Metcalfe secured £100,000 from the government for the force to carry out the review.

Compared to the 2021, there were “positive increases seen in almost all areas” of how stalking complaints were dealt with in the force control room.

Call handlers were reported to be better at identifying incidents of stalking and knowing how to respond to complainants.

Issues remained, though, with how stalking was logged on the police’s computer systems.

The lack of specialist detectives also meant some low- and medium-level cases could not be dealt with by the stalking team.

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Zoë Metcalfe, North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.

“Additional suppressed demand”

North Yorkshire Police predicted that the number of stalking cases would continue to increase.

Part of this was expected to be to victims coming forward detailing historical stalking incidents.

Det Supt Wynne said:

“14% of those [stalking and stalking-related] offences [in 2021] were… historical offences, non-recent offences of stalking. That basically means that there is an additional suppressed demand which we may see unfolding as the years go on.”

Det Supt Wynne also pointed to the fact that more stalking was now being done using digital technology.

Stalkers were also reportedly using digital devices more often. This included using wireless connections to listen into people’s smart speakers and baby monitors.

The force is working with the personal safety charity the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, which provides help and advice on stalking.

Independent craft shops in North Yorkshire are coming together to launch a yarn trail across the county to encourage people to buy local and get into knitting.

The North Yorkshire Yarn Trail is running between September 17 and 24.

Thirteen shops will be taking part, including Yarn etc and the White Rose Sewing Machine Co in Harrogate, Knitting Pretty in Knaresborough, and Masham’s Each One Unique.

The trail is happening as part of the UK Hand Knitting Association’s first ‘Yarnstravaganza’ where wool shops nationwide host special knitting-related events.

The shop owners hope it will encourage people to use local businesses and not buy their materials on the internet.

Fiona Burks, who owns Yarn etc. on Knaresborough Road, said:

“We’re trying to keep people offline. It’s a very tactile thing, buying wool. It’s the colour, it’s the feel, the texture. It’s an experience.”

People who want to take part can pick up a “yarn passport” at a participating shop. They then get a stamp for each one they visit.

Anyone who visits all 13 shops will be entered into a prize draw. The winner will receive a £100 voucher to spend in the participating wool shop of their choice.

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The yarn trail will take in 13 shops across North Yorkshire (photo: North Yorkshire Yarn Trail)

Ms Burks also wanted to promote what she saw as the mental health benefits of knitting. She said:

“To knit or crochet, you need to spend time and process and there’s lots of repetition. It’s really quite a good and meditative thing.”

Along with Sharon King, who owns fellow participating shop Ewe and Yarn in Thirsk, the Yarn etc owner had the idea for a yarn trail a few years ago. However, the pandemic delayed their plans.

Both were inspired by trails they saw being run by wool shops in the United States. Ms Burks said:

“The ones in America are just huge. They cover big areas but they’re amazing… They have these wool shops and they’re huge. They have cafés in them – basically, they’re absolutely brilliant.”

The owner of the Royal Oak pub in Dacre Banks has warned that there will be a “massive” knock-on effect if local pubs close this winter after he revealed that the pub now faced an energy bill of £65,000 a year.

Speaking to The Stray Ferret, Steve Cock said he was “absolutely distraught” when he realised what the cost would be.

The pub will now have to increase its prices to try and meet the rising costs.

On Tuesday, industry group the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) asked for government intervention to help small businesses in the face of “out of control” bills.

It warned that there could be “real and serious irreversible” damage if nothing was done.

Until this year, the Dacre Banks pub paid between £13,000 and £15,000 for energy.

It will start paying its £65,000 bill next month after entering a three-year deal to reduce the cost down from the initially proposed £100,000 a year.

Read more

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Steve and Anna Cock have run the Royal Oak pub in Dacre Banks for 24 years (photo: Royal Oak)

“We love the village; we love the people.”

The pub has also been hit by suppliers asking for higher prices for products including oil, meat and vegetables.

Mr Cock hopes that the Dacre Banks community will come together to support it through the winter. He said:

“We’ve been here at the pub for 24 years… We love the village; we love the people – lots of nice people come in here.”

However, the Royal Oak’s owner warned that it was not the only small business facing hardship:

“If businesses don’t get help, it’s not just us: it’s restaurants, it’s fish and chip shops, it’s little village shops. The high street will see shops closing one by one.”

The number of pubs in towns and villages has already reduced in recent years. According to real estate consultancy Artus Group, more than 7,000 have closed across the UK since 2012, bringing the total remaining open to just under 40,000 earlier this year.

The BBPA’s chief executive, Emma McClarkin, said:

“If we lose [local pubs], we not only lose businesses and the jobs that go with them, but also the beating heart of communities across the country where people gather in times of need. We need an energy cap for businesses before it’s too late.”

North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoë Metcalfe has called issues with fire crew availability in the county “incredibly concerning”.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s fire engine availability was classed as being at a “critical” level for 10% of the time during May this year.

That status refers to the service having fewer than 32 staffed engines and other appliances available across North Yorkshire.

The fire service said that “ongoing challenges” were affecting firefighter availability in the county.

The statistics were presented during the monthly public accountability meeting chaired by the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.

After the high in May, the period of time spent at the critical level decreased to 4% in June.

Ms Metcalfe said that the situation reaffirmed the need for the fire service’s risk and resource model consultation.

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The consultation, which closed last month, proposed upgrading Harrogate’s 24-hour tactical response vehicle to a full fire engine, but only during the day.

Harrogate Fire Station is currently one of only of five in North Yorkshire to have staff on a 24-hour basis.

Elsewhere in North Yorkshire, the commissioner proposed moving some stations from full-time operation to being ‘on-call’.

That is where firefighters principally work in other jobs but respond to incidents when needed.

Ms Metcalfe said:

“That’s why… the fire service invests in the on-call model and that the service uses its resources in the very best way in the future.”

Zoe Metcalfe, North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.

“Our availability is inverted to our demand”

The fire service’s director of assurance, area manager James Manning, told the meeting that the current method of employing staff on-call had led to some issues.

He said:

“Our availability is inverted to our demand.”

The data showed that fire crew availability was higher in the evenings and overnight but lower during the daytime when fewer firefighters were able to be on-call.

Roughly around double the number of incidents happen in the daytime compared to overnight.

Mr Manning added that May also saw “slightly higher than normal” levels of leave and sickness but that the service was working on becoming more flexible in its staffing arrangements.